THE SUPERIOR FRIENDS OF SPIDER-MAN #3

Following a villainous altercation gone wrong, Fred Myers, a.k.a. Boomerang, sees an opportunity to get the law off his back for good by declaring himself a newly reformed superhero! But going straight isn’t easy when you still owe a debt to the Kingpin of crime himself, Wilson Fisk! Or when you just… don’t really want to.

PAGE 1

Splash Page:

It’s early afternoon, and we’re in the apartment of WILLIAM BAKER, better known as FLINT “THE SANDMAN” MARKO.

SANDMAN himself fills the majority of the page, dressed in his iconic green-striped shirt with arms crossed, looking skeptically off-panel at someone.

At the bottom of the page is the issue’s title:

MR. SANDMAN, BRING ME A FIEND!

CAPTION: This guy, right?

CAPTION: He may be the Sandman, but if you ask me, the only thing about him that might put you to sleep is his backstory.

CAPTION: Is he a good guy or a bad guy?

CAPTION: Honestly, who even knows at this point?

CAPTION: I’m starting to think he just wakes up every February and checks for a shadow.

BOOMERANG walks past a man polishing the hood of his car, on which he has emblazoned a Punisher skull.

CAPTION: They’re just not popular.

CAPTION: It all has to be about anti-heroes now.

CAPTION: But what’s an anti-hero, really?

CAPTION: Just an ***hole that beats up people who happen to deserve it.

Panel 4:

Wide shot. A MAN with a gun bursts through the door of a bodega, the owner leaning out the door after him.

CAPTION: Everyone thinks the nice man is here to solve all their problems.

CAPTION: But at the end of they day, they’ve just got anger issues.

WOMAN: Stop! Theif!

Panel 5:

The ROBBER sprints past BOOMERANG, who pivots out of his way.

Panel 6:

Extreme close-up. BOOMERANG’S HAND lifts up his shirt, fingering a boomerang tucked into the back of his pants.

CAPTION: Me?

Panel 7:

Same close-up. Boomerang allows his shirt to drop back down.

CAPTION: I tend not to worry about other people’s problems.

Panel 8:

BOOMERANG puts his hands back in his pockets and heads down the street, the ROBBER running the opposite way in the background. The owner of the Punisher car cowers in fear as the criminal passes by him.

Panel 9:

Back at Katz’s, OVERDRIVE pokes his head out the door, looking for his friend.

CAPTION: After all..

OVERDRIVE: Fred?

PAGE 9

Panel 1:

Boomerang’s apartment. OVERDRIVE sits in a ratty armchair across from BOOMERANG himself, who sits on a ratty couch. Next to Boomerang is a THIRD MAN, dressed neatly, his face concealed by a copy of the Daily Bugle. The headline reads: “Mysterious Planet Nearly Devours Earth! Traffic Delays Reported.”

CAPTION: I’ve got enough problems of my own.

OVERDRIVE: So do you think his contact got back to him?

BOOMERANG: I don’t know.

OVERDRIVE: Who do you think it is?

BOOMERANG: I don’t know.

OVERDRIVE: What if it’s Microchip?

BOOMERANG: Who the **** is Microchip?

Panel 2:

BOOMERANG hoists himself off the couch following a knock at the door.

SOUND EFFECT: *Knock knock knock!*

CAPTION: Thank God.

Panel 3:

With his doorframe still a splintered mess, BOOMERANG gets down on one knee to open the door by untying a string wrapped around his doorknob. The other end of the string is tied to the refrigerator.

Panel 4:

BOOMERANG opens the door to greet SANDMAN. His bulk fills most of the doorway, but a YOUNG BLACK MAN carrying an odd skateboard can be seen over his shoulder. The man wears a red jacket over a yellow tee.

BOOMERANG: Took you long enough.

SANDMAN: Good to see you, too.

Panel 5:

The stairwell of the apartment building. As his guests enter, BOOMERANG peeks his head out into the passage, glancing back and forth.

Panel 6:

Same framing. Boomerang hastily shuts the door behind him.

SOUND EFFECT: *Slam!*

PAGE 10

Panel 1:

Wide shot. BOOMERANG shakes the hand of SANDMAN’S CONTACT, who sets his odd skateboard down as SANDMAN makes the introductions.

BOOMERANG: I take it you found your guy.

SANDMAN: This is Robert Farrell.

ROCKET RACER: I also go by Rocket Racer. Hey.

Panel 2:

Close-up of the MAN on the couch, still behind his newspaper.

Panel 3:

The newspaper comes down from in front of his face, displaying a shocked and outraged expression. He’s white, middle-aged with dark graying hair, and wears glasses.

Panel 4:

BIG panel. Extreme close-up of the man (none other than JACKSON WHEELE, a.k.a. BIG WHEEL) on the verge of flying into a blind rage.

BIG WHEEL: YOU!?!

PAGE 11

Panel 1:

Close-up of ROCKET RACER, who, by contrast, shows nothing more than mild surprise.

ROCKET RACER: Oh, ****! Jackson Wheele?

ROCKET RACER: Long time no see, man!

Panel 2:

BIG WHEEL approaches ROCKET RACER, pointing a finger in his face. Rocket Racer holds up his hands in a peacemaking gesture as SANDMAN looks on.

PAGE 15

OVERDRIVE, back in his seat, recites his ‘lines’ in a deadpan fashion. He holds his hands up in a defensive posture.

OVERDRIVE: ‘Oh no, it’s the Sinister Six.’

OVERDRIVE: ‘But wait. There’s only five of them.’

Panel 2:

OVERDRIVE mimes an exaggerated shrug, looking back and forth.

OVERDRIVE: ‘Where’s the sixth one?’

OVERDRIVE: ‘Who’s the sixth one?’

Panel 3:

He holds his hands to his cheeks in mock fear, his face still expressionless.

OVERDRIVE: ‘It could be anyone.’

OVERDRIVE: ‘It could be Dormammu.’

Panel 4:

A satisfied BOOMERANG gestures in Overdrive’s direction.

BOOMERANG: Thank you.

Panel 5:

Same framing.

BOOMERANG: You try that with four people, they’ll call your bluff in a second.

Panel 6:

Close-up. SANDMAN grits his teeth and pinches the bridge of his nose.

SANDMAN: Why are we the Sinister Six…

Panel 7:

He gestures with a double ‘chopping’ motion.

SANDMAN: AT ALL!?

PAGE 16

Panel 1:

Medium shot of BOOMERANG.

BOOMERANG: Because branding is important, okay?

BOOMERANG: And it’s not like there’s a name for a team of four villains.

Panel 2:

Close-up of SANDMAN, clearly trying to choose his next words carefully.

Panel 3:

Same framing. SANDMAN sighs, deciding it’s not worth it.

CAPTION: Okay, I’ll admit it.

CAPTION: That was just to piss him off.

Panel 4:

Two-shot of ROCKET RACER and BIG WHEEL.

ROCKET RACER: Why can’t we just be the Outlaws again?

BIG WHEEL: Or the Thunderbolts?

Panel 5:

BOOMERANG turns on BIG WHEEL with almost as much ferocity as Big Wheel had turned on Rocket Racer.

BOOMERANG: NO!

BOOMERANG: WE ARE NOT THE THUNDERBOLTS!

BOOMERANG: WE WILL NEVER BE THE THUNDERBOLTS!

Panel 6:

Medium shot of BIG WHEEL, calm, with his hands up at chest level.

BIG WHEEL: I understand that aggression was not meant for me, and I forgive you for it.

Panel 7:

Medium shot of a frustrated SANDMAN.

SANDMAN: The name isn’t important!

SANDMAN: Can we please talk about the job?

Panel 8:

BOOMERANG stoops to re-tie the string around the doorknob, looking back over his shoulder.

BOOMERANG: Thank you, Flint.

CAPTION: Sinister Six, it is.

PAGE 17

Panel 1:

The same crudely drawn art style used in previous issues for flashbacks. This time, we’re looking at a blueprint-esque cross-section of the Baxter Building, taking up most of the page. At the top of the building, the FANTASTIC FOUR are huddled together and waving. Padlocks and chains are superimposed all over various rooms and doors of this area.

(The text box containing Boomerang’s dialogue is colored differently and denoted with a boomerang, to differentiate it from regular captions.)

BOOMERANG (OFF-PANEL): The top five floors of the Baxter Building are arguably the most secure area in all of New York City.

We move down the building to a less secure floor, helpfully marked by an arrow.

BOOMERANG (OFF-PANEL): Luckily for us, Parker Industries is currently located on the 29th floor, an area that is, at least theoretically, accessible to the public.

Down even further in the lobby, a figure stands at the front desk, holding a disproportionately large key card above her head. Three elevator shafts nearby are marked with three red arrows going up different distances.

BOOMERANG (OFF-PANEL): Checking in at the front desk gets you a key card, which will take the elevator up as high as you need to go.

To the right of those elevator shafts are three others, in which three more arrows, starting at different heights, converge at the bottom of the blueprint.

BOOMERANG (OFF-PANEL): Get on the elevator anywhere other than the ground floor, and it’s a straight shot back down to the lobby.

Panel 2:

Wide shot of Boomerang’s apartment. BOOMERANG uses a boomerang as a pointer and stands next to an easel and pad on which all of this has been drawn. SANDMAN, OVERDRIVE, and ROCKET RACER sit on the couch across from him. BIG WHEEL occupies the armchair.

ROCKET RACER: So I just hack the elevator.

ROCKET RACER: That’s easy enough.

Panel 3:

Medium shot of BOOMERANG.

BOOMERANG: I’m sure it would be, my rocket-boarding friend.

BOOMERANG: But even that won’t be necessary, given the ace up our sleeves.

BOOMERANG: Jackson?

Panel 4:

Medium shot of BIG WHEEL.

BIG WHEEL: Oh, right.

BIG WHEEL: I’m a shareholder of Parker Industries.

BIG WHEEL: I bought 5% of their stock back when they were endorsing Spider-Man.

Back to the more crude drawing style for the rest of the page. Here, BIG WHEEL, a Groucho-Glasses-wearing SANDMAN, and ROCKET RACER board the elevator (a red arrow showing their progress up the shaft) as a handful of figures in lab coats step out of the office.

BOOMERANG (OFF-PANEL): Wheele gets you into the elevator and we wait for the staff to leave for lunch…

Panel 5:

SANDMAN slides under the door in sand form as ROCKET RACER shoots at security cameras with some cartoonish electrical bolts from his wrists.

BOOMERANG (OFF-PANEL): Flint breaks in, Robert disables the cameras…

Panel 6:

SANDMAN and ROCKET RACER run back to the elevator, triumphantly holding an Octobot above their heads, while BIG WHEEL locks the door behind them.

BOOMERANG (OFF-PANEL): We take what we need, put everything back the way we found it, and nobody has to know we were even there!

Panel 7:

Out on the street, BOOMERANG and OVERDRIVE stand around a toy car. (The text box for Overdrive’s dialogue is denoted by his helmet.)

OVERDRIVE (OFF-PANEL): And I get the getaway car!

BOOMERANG (OFF-PANEL): Yes, Overdrive, you get the getaway car.

Panel 8:

OVERDRIVE shoots stars from his fingertips as the car balloons in size to a full-scale A-Team van.

CAPTION: Wait, did I not tell you that’s what he can do?

CAPTION: Ah, ****, that means you spent a whole month thinking I was afraid of some dinky little Hot Wheels toy.

CAPTION: Oh well. I’ve lived down worse.

PAGE 19

Panel 1:

Medium shot of SANDMAN, begrudgingly impressed.

SANDMAN: That’s… actually pretty good.

SANDMAN: Small problem.

Panel 2:

Same framing. SANDMAN holds up his arm, letting it disintegrate into sand.

SANDMAN: Even if we wear disguises, there are full body scanners at the front door. Somebody’s going to notice that I’ve got no bones.

Panel 3:

Medium shot of BOOMERANG.

CAPTION: Cool. Thanks. I really wanted sand all the way down between my couch cushions.

BOOMERANG: I’m glad you brought that up, Flint. Because as it happens —

SOUND EFFECT: *Knock knock knock knock!*

Panel 4:

Close-up. BOOMERANG’S eyes widen.

Panel 5:

Same framing.

BOOMERANG: Overdrive.

BOOMERANG: Please tell me you ordered food.

Panel 6:

Reverse shot of the group. OVERDRIVE holds up his hands in innocence. SANDMAN and ROCKET RACER shake their heads. BIG WHEEL shrugs.

Panel 7:

Wide shot. BOOMERANG makes his way to the door, turning back to ‘shush’ the rest of the group.

Panel 8:

BOOMERANG peers through the peephole.

PAGE 20

Splash page:

Boomerang’s POV. Through the peephole’s fisheye lens, we see the distorted shape of MACH-VII waiting outside the door.